Monday, February 29, 2016

Happy Monday! Welcome to another edition of Art. Paint. Journal. Play!I am slowly getting my footing in this art journaling thing... figuring out what I like and what I don't and I am beginning to see a bit of my "style" emerge within the layers of paint and such...That has me going back to older pages and wanting to do a bit of reworking. Last week's spread was one of those, as is this one. Enjoy!

I had fun reworking this page! And, now I feel it flows a bit with the rest of my journal as of late.

Thursday, February 25, 2016

Hey, hey!I'm popping in today to share my January pocket pages for Family Portraits. You might remember in a recent post when I talked about my album approach for 2016? If you missed it, check that out HERE.So far, I am loving this system! I have my intro page, as seen in the post mentioned above, followed by this pocket page...

I scrapped on the font and the back of one pocket page, to create my January "spread."

Then, I have a couple of layouts behind that. This really sums up our January and I LOVE it!

Oh, and aren't all the little goodies and stickers from Family Portraits fabulous???

Wednesday, February 24, 2016

Hi there!Recently, on the Cocoa Daisy Forum, someone posed a question about Pocket Letters. She wondered what they were and what the big deal was.... well, one thing led to another and we all decided to do an exchange!

Basically, if I understood correctly, the idea is to fill these little pockets with scrappy goodness and then trade, pen pal style...

Monday, February 22, 2016

Happy Monday! For this edition of Art. Paint. Journal. Play, I am playing with the idea of a "tip-in." Basically, just adding a page that folds into the journal. This is super fun because it enlarges the spread and makes the journal more customized and interactive!I had a ton of fun putting this together! I experimented with some new paints from Michael's and a new oil based Sharpie! (the jury is still out on that one...)Oh, and an elephant! The hubbs recently showed me a fabulous elephant video on YouTube and I was reminded of how cool they are. That inspired me to try drawing one!

Thanks for watching!

Oh... on the note of supplies... I am pondering a separate page of my most favorite, and frequently used supplies. We shall see...

Wednesday, February 17, 2016

Not new at all, but new to me, is the world of Artist Trading Cards. My very first attempt at making one of these fun little pieces was through a swap with my friends at Cocoa Daisy.I really enjoyed making it! And, when I posted it on Instagram, one of my lovely followers asked if I would like to trade with her. And so I made this for her...

And enclosed it in this handmade envelope...

I happened to be making the above ATC at a crop and one of my friends there asked if I would trade with her too... Of course!

So, I made this....

I'm having fun with these little creations!

And, it's just delightful to trade with people and build a little collection of other's art!

Sunday, February 14, 2016

Hello and happy Monday! For this edition of Art.Paint.Journal.Play, I am trying a couple of new things...

Sketching a tree and tearing up a face, to be exact!What's with the torn up face?Well, I have been binging on art journal videos lately, mostly from Christy Sobolewski. I recently painted right along with her. I learned a ton! But, the final result didn't feel like "mine." So, I ripped it out of my journal, but kept it and you can see here that I tore it up to collage onto a page...It's always fun to try new things!

Friday, February 12, 2016

I've followed this project since the beginning. But, I have never actually jumped in to participate. Ahhhh... but this is the year!

Not only do I love the combination of art journal meets planner, but the community of inspiration is over the top!

I am taking a very different approach than the lead artists. However, that is one of the things that attracted me most to this year's "unPlanner" - it is SO customizable! The other thing that put me over the edge and encouraged me to join in this year was the fact that a sweet friend is doing it too! We have such fun texting back and forth about our progress.

Ok, back to my approach...

I knew that if I tried to do each and every bit of the inspiration offered, I would fall behind, burn out, and get frustrated. So, I am adapting it to what I know will be easy for me to accomplish.

What is so different about what I am doing? Well, instead of a small binder, I am using an 8 1/2 x 11 Tim Holtz Folio.

I created an accordion binding and adhered a monthly calendar within each slot. The accordion is then threaded with a ribbon. This allows it to completely expand, or completely contract. I am really excited about how it's coming together!

I am also using the calendar view to just journal and paint random bits throughout the month. I'm not relating to it so much as a literal calendar.

This project also includes the creation of lots of ATC type cards. This is a new format for me and I am enjoying it!

With January under my belt, I am really excited to keep forging forward! I will keep you posted...

Wednesday, February 10, 2016

Hello and welcome to the last post in my On Brother series! If you aren't sure exactly what this is, just click on this LINK and all the prior posts will come up.So... I think it is safe to say that I am totally in love with my ScanNCut! It can do so many, many things!Like.... cut out this stamped little birdie... using a wonderful trick from May Flaum.

And this gorgeous vine piece...

Which came together very nicely on this little card! Along with plenty of mixed media action too...

I am in love!

The possibilities are endless and I have merely scratched the surface! I can't wait to play more...

Monday, February 8, 2016

Happy Monday! I'm back with another edition of Art. Paint. Journal. Play!This time, I am painting a requested piece, out of the journal, that will get framed...

A bee in her bonnet, with an eagle's wing... the perfect mix of symbolism for the lovely couple that requested this piece!

I'm enjoying faces and have been binge watching many, many video tutorials and am playing with some new ideas...More soon...One last question before you go...Supply list... Do you care? Is it helpful? I didn't include one this time to see how many of you would notice. Let me know if you missed it! Thanks!

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Please remember that I have worked hard on the projects posted and all designs and images belong to soapHOUSE (unless otherwise noted). I welcome the opportunity for guest posting and publication. However, please contact me first for publishing rights. Thank you!